Nothing to Be Afraid of
by BlackNymph
Summary: It had long been decided by Ino that she did not like thunderstorms... NejiIno


It had long been decided by Ino that she did not like thunderstorms, and this showed, as with each clap of thunder or streak of lightning, her shivers increased in length and ferocity. She buried her nose into her pillow, fingers digging tightly into her sheets, which she had in rumpled balls next to her eyes.

"Go away." she muttered bitterly, head turned only slightly in the direction of the window, where rain torrented the panes of glass, loudly echoing throughout the dark hallways of her empty home. "Go away, leave me alone..." She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as her fingers, a single small tear leaking out.

_Why can't I just be more grown up about this?_ She scolded herself. _Just because Mom and Dad are out on a mission doesn't mean I have to be a baby. It's just a thunder--_

"AAH!!!" The house shook slightly from the great booming of the thunder, and Ino vaguely noticed that the small nightlight, which she kept in reserve for nights like this, had gone out.

She clamped her small hands over her ears, pushing her tear-streaked face deeper into her damp pillow. "Make it stop, make it stop, make it stopstopstopstopstop..."

Unconciously, her legs dragged themselves upward, tukcing themselves under her thin body, and she reached out to grab her blanket--a raggedy one, from when she had been three; her security blanket--and tugged it closer to her shaking shoulders in a small semblence of comfort.

--

Neji always loved the rain. It had a great calming effect on him, and he often spent rainy days just inside the outer doors in meditation.

Thunder, however, was a different matter. It's not like it did anything--it was just a sound, after all--but it still offered him an aggravation that he didn't need.

As another great rumble tore through the sky, he grumbled slightly, turning on his side, and away from the window, dragging his sheet up to cover his head. He peeked his eyes out, glancing at the clock, and frowning at the glowing red '1:45' that danced in front of him, mocking him. He turned back towards the window.

The day had been hard enough as it was, being the final day of the annual jounin exam. Neji, who was notorious for nit-picking, had passed with flying colors, and was still not satisfied with his results.

More, he was not satisfied with his opponents.

He groaned, more than somewhat agitated, and slammed his pillow on his face. _Quit it. You'll never get to sleep this way,_ he reprimanded, shutting his eyes under the rough fabric of the pillowcase.

It seemed to work; the minute he shut his eyes, he felt himself slipping into unconciousness--

DINGDONG.

Neji felt his eyes twitch. "Not now." he muttered, glancing once more at his clock, and hoping for once that he had slept late. 1:46.

A sigh. "Dammit."

He kicked his feet out from under his covers, tossing them back at the same time his feet connected with the hardwood floor of his room.

The visitor was quite persistent, as with every step closer Neji was to the front entrance, his ears received three echoing bangs from the door. The pounds quickly became frantic, and Neji thought that the door would be broken down, and he didn't think the main family would appreciate that very much...

His fingers worked the deadbolt quickly, and he swung the door open, only to be pushed back by a swift tackle to his midsection. He blinked a few times, looking down to see a head of matted, wet blonde hair coming from his stomach, and heaving shoulders behind it. He reached down, grabbing one of the shoulders to relinquish his waist from the wiry arms that held him fast, but as soon as he connected, the grip about his waist tightened.

"I'm s-s-sorry Neji-i-i." a voice sobbed from underneath the mess of blonde. "I d-d-didn't know where else to g-g-go..." At this, the small body attached to him began shaking violently, and Neji felt himself instinctively wrap his own arms around his visitor.

He blinked once more. "Ino?"

A sniffle, and the head nodded.

Another sigh. He gently began tugging her back to his room, frowning as her wet feet squeaked across the floor. She must be soaked...

Several minutes later, Neji had himself set up a pile of blankets on the floor in a makeshift futon, having told Ino, who had dried off and changed into a set of his old sleep clothes, to take his own. He grunted once, and shifted again to one side, trying to block out the blonde girl's sniffling as she huddled into his mattress.

At last, he found himself a comfortable position, and settled into it, trying to get to sleep. The blankets near his legs shifted. Yet again, he sighed. "Try to get to sleep, Ino." he whispered to her, turning to face her in spite of himself, and cracking open one pale eye. She shook her head stubbornly, jumping slightly as a fierce bolt of lightning zig-zagged across te sky. "It's just light, Ino. It's nothing to be scared of."

Ino shivered, her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest, her head down as far as it would go. "Neji...please..." she whimpered, sounding nothing like the bold Ino he watched battle in the many missions the two had been on. "Please..."

"Ino..."

Another shake of her head. She was completely set on this, and Neji vaguely contemplated switching off, to see if it would sate her wishes. He knew it wouldn't, but it was a nice thought.

With his last sigh of the night, he drew the covers away from the mat, scooting back to make room for her. Ino had never looked more elated.


End file.
